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I'm trying to gather as much information on air travel with a pet as possible, if anyone has traveled with their dog would you mind helping me understand or answering the following.
Do you have a prefered US airport to travel from?
Do you have a prefered airport to fly into i.e. perhaps an airport in France is easier than the UK?
Do any of the airlines allow you to soothe your dog within it's crate? i.e. open the zip a little
Do any airlines have more room under the seat than others? Are there any airlines that allow pets in first or business class cabins?
In the departure airport what is the procedure, especially at TSA? Does my dog have to walk through the security scanner leash free or can I hold my dog without his leash on?
For those who have done flights with stops, i.e. LAX > Dallas > International Airport : Is there a process in Dallas my dog and I would need to go through?
Access to these locations is all good from my side, so any recommendations around mainland Europe, and UK is fine.
Really appreciate anyone's responses, this stuff is hard to find online.
Pretty difficult to answer all those questions without knowing your desired itinerary OP. Maybe if you make some decisions about where you want to depart from or arrive to it would narrow down the possibilities. Some of the answers you'll need to get from each specific airline and the information is probably available on each website (how many connections you'd need to meet, length of flights, size of carrier, what class accepts pets in the cabin, etc). Is it absolutely necessary to take the dog along? So many unexpected things can happen when traveling with pets, especially internationally...I'd avoid doing it myself.
To answer your question, I am not limited to where I can travel from or to but it is from US into UK or Europe.
If narrowing down does help however, LAX/SAN/SNA to LON/LHR/LGW or Paris/Nice, France
Is the dog small enough to travel under the seat in the cabin?
Mostly you get to use the airport that has a flight that goes where you are going. Favorite airport usually doesn't have anything to do with it.
The dog can't go through the X-ray machine at TSA screening. If it is an under the seat dog, you take it out and hold it while TSA examines the crate and the crate goes through the x-ray machine.
The last time I flew, I went through the people X-ray scanner, and a TSA agent held my puppy for me. Then all of the TSA agents had to stop working and come over and play with her for a few seconds. Other times before that, I just held the dog and walked through the metal detector (sans shoes). They are accustomed to dealing with traveling pets so there is no drama.
Is the dog small enough to travel under the seat in the cabin?
Mostly you get to use the airport that has a flight that goes where you are going. Favorite airport usually doesn't have anything to do with it.
The dog can't go through the X-ray machine at TSA screening. If it is an under the seat dog, you take it out and hold it while TSA examines the crate and the crate goes through the x-ray machine.
The last time I flew, I went through the people X-ray scanner, and a TSA agent held my puppy for me. Then all of the TSA agents had to stop working and come over and play with her for a few seconds. Other times before that, I just held the dog and walked through the metal detector (sans shoes). They are accustomed to dealing with traveling pets so there is no drama.
Thank you I wasn't sure if pets had to go through by themselves or if they could be carried - appreciate your response
I've been carrying dogs on flights through San Francisco, Reno Nevada, Redmond Oregon, John Wayne in LA, Portland Oregon, Seattle Seatac, Chicago, London Heathrow and London Gatwick, and Copenhagen.
They are all about the same for the dog. Some are more or less degrees of pleasant for the people. It was summer in Copenhagen and there was no air conditioning and the airport was a sweaty sauna. John Wayne was vastly overcrowded and flights were being cancelled and delayed and it was pretty awful for me, but no difference to the dog who found a young child to sit and pet him and talk to him.
Ticket counter people in John Wayne were pretty awful and I would have been really stuck if my under the seat dog hadn't been a service dog, complete with vest and documents, because my flight was cancelled and the replacement airline didn't allow dogs. But that was the only time I had any issues at all with the dog part of any flight.
Technically, the dog is supposed to stay inside the kennel. However, no one has ever objected to my having the carrier on my lap and the zip open enough to have my hand inside the carrier. Also, there has been no objection to carrying the carrier back to the loo and taking the dog out of the carrier while inside the loo to use a wee-wee pad or to get a drink of water.
My experience with planes is the the floor is quite hot until after take-off, so I do not put my dog under the seat until take-off is announced. Then once the set belt sign is off, I bring the carrier back up onto my lap. They can ask you to keep the dog under the seat all the time but so far, no one ever has.
Dogs do not object to flying. to them it is no different than riding in a car and mostly, they sleep. Have the dog accustomed to riding in the carrier. Sherpa is a really good brand and Samsonite makes a good one. I like the Samsonite because you can squish it down to fit it under the seat, but if it isn't pushed down, it holds its shape.
Technically, the dog is supposed to stay inside the kennel. However, no one has ever objected to my having the carrier on my lap and the zip open enough to have my hand inside the carrier. Also, there has been no objection to carrying the carrier back to the loo and taking the dog out of the carrier while inside the loo to use a wee-wee pad or to get a drink of water.
My experience with planes is the the floor is quite hot until after take-off, so I do not put my dog under the seat until take-off is announced. Then once the set belt sign is off, I bring the carrier back up onto my lap. They can ask you to keep the dog under the seat all the time but so far, no one ever has.
Dogs do not object to flying. to them it is no different than riding in a car and mostly, they sleep. Have the dog accustomed to riding in the carrier. Sherpa is a really good brand and Samsonite makes a good one. I like the Samsonite because you can squish it down to fit it under the seat, but if it isn't pushed down, it holds its shape.
Thank you, can I ask - is this on various airlines, or would you recommend any airline in particular?
Thank you, can I ask - is this on various airlines, or would you recommend any airline in particular?
You have to call each airline and ask about their terms and conditions. Some of them have different age restrictions. Then you must find the airline that does the route you want with the fewest stops. I simply don't find much difference with the airlines. I flew SAS to Copenhagen because they would take a younger pup and with some airlines by the time my pup was old enough to meet their age requirement, she would no longer fit under the seat. The flight was OK, but that is the only airline that ever lost my luggage and never found it. No clean clothes for me but the dog and I were comfortable enough.
I flew two adult Deerhounds on British Airways. The most expensive ticket for me but they were the only airline that didn't have a size restriction on a dog flying as accompanied baggage.
You must make the reservation for the dog through the airline's own website. You can't do it through any of the discount online travel agencies and your dog must have a reservation.
You have to call each airline and ask about their terms and conditions. Some of them have different age restrictions. Then you must find the airline that does the route you want with the fewest stops. I simply don't find much difference with the airlines. I flew SAS to Copenhagen because they would take a younger pup and with some airlines by the time my pup was old enough to meet their age requirement, she would no longer fit under the seat. The flight was OK, but that is the only airline that ever lost my luggage and never found it. No clean clothes for me but the dog and I were comfortable enough.
I flew two adult Deerhounds on British Airways. The most expensive ticket for me but they were the only airline that didn't have a size restriction on a dog flying as accompanied baggage.
You must make the reservation for the dog through the airline's own website. You can't do it through any of the discount online travel agencies and your dog must have a reservation.
I didn't think BA allowed dogs in the cabin, but believe that's only into the UK - I'll have to double check other routes.
Really appreciate your help here & sorry to hear about your missing case
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